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Berbatov was relatively quiet until his 69th-minute volleyed winner

Manchester United kept up the pressure on Liverpool and Chelsea as Dimitar Berbatov's third league goal for the club saw off a spirited Middlesbrough.

Though United had better chances, the brave visitors defended manfully and could have taken the lead when Tuncay headed just wide in the 61st minute.

But substitute Paul Scholes steadied the ship and Dimitar Berbatov blasted in from close range six minutes later.

United move seven points behind leaders Liverpool with two games in hand.

Though Middlesbrough looked nothing like a side sat just above the Premier League relegation zone, that is where they remain after a run of eight games without a win.

United, meanwhile, look to be gelling and have dismissed any notion of a hangover from their exploits in the Club World Cup on the other side of the world just before Christmas.

Despite having to wait to break the deadlock, they pushed forward constantly and maintained an exciting tempo throughout the match.

Middlesbrough's Jeremie Aliadiere, under pressure from Nemanja Vidic and John O'Shea, had a second-minute penalty appeal turned down before Michael Carrick - in outstanding form of late - began probing with his simple but effective range of passing.

United set about creating a series of early openings but could fashion nothing clear-cut.

Rooney, full of wit and invention, had a decent shot pushed aside by Boro keeper Ross Turnbull but European Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo badly miscued after being set up by Ji-Sung Park.

United did most of the pressing, but they had to be alert to block an Afonso Alves shot after good work from Stewart Downing.

Instinctive link-up play between Berbatov and Rooney after 22 minutes saw the latter cut the ball back across the penalty area for Ronaldo to screw a left-foot shot just wide of the post when he should have scored.

Downing then flashed a vicious 30th-minute shot just wide before Ronaldo tested Turnbull with a low shot from 12 yards.

As the action intensified, Turnbull had to push Rooney's clever floated cross-shot away from his goal before young Brazilian right-back Rafael crashed the rebound into the side-netting.

United were partly guilty of trying to walk the ball into the net but Boro were impressive when they had possession and defended in numbers brilliantly when other teams could have crumbled.

Sir Alex Ferguson's team went closest to taking the lead when they chose to go direct just before half-time.

Darren Fletcher pumped a long ball forward for Ronaldo to glance a header into the path of Rooney - who fired a brilliant first-time half-volley with the outside of his left boot, forcing Turnbull to tip acrobatically over his bar.

Ronaldo's increasing frustration with Middlesbrough's aggression and, perhaps, his own stuttering form, became increasingly obvious when he clashed with Emanuel Pogatetz before and after half-time.

No personnel changes were made at the break after which United defender Vidic soon had to be at full stretch to deflect a decent Alves effort behind for a corner after the visitors had broken well.

The need for the hosts to break the deadlock became more evident as Middlesbrough embarked on a dominant spell of possession.

They nearly took the lead in the 61st minute when Matthew Bates, an influential presence all evening, pinged a bouncing cross in from the right for Tuncay to nod just past Edwin Van der Sar's post.

Veteran Scholes (left) had an instant effect upon United when he came on

But when Paul Scholes replaced Darren Fletcher in United's midfield, the flow of play swung back into United's favour almost immediately.

And they duly broke the deadlock in the 68th minute when, from a swift, swarming attack, Carrick whipped in a cross that David Wheater could only deflect into the path of Berbatov, who volleyed home from eight yards.

From that point on it was one-way traffic as a flurry of decent attempts from the lung-busting Park and determined Ronaldo threatened to seal the three points for United, now relaxed and rampant.

The reigning champions managed to hold out when Boro rallied late on and they now turn their attention to the domestic cup competitions with a trip to Southampton in the FA Cup on Sunday followed by the first leg of their Carling Cup semi-final with Derby on 7 January.

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson:
"We missed a lot of chances and that is the big concern. If we can't take those chances we will suffer from it.

"But I think you have to see how well Middlesbrough played tonight. For a team in their position it belies their ability.

"Berbatov is a marvellous player and I thought he was absolutely superb for us. He took his goal well."

Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate:
"I thought there were a lot of good things about that performance.

"I thought we were quite bright in a lot of our play, we were very resilient and our keeper has made some good saves, but generally our discipline in terms of tactics was good.

"Our quality in the final third was what let us down. We got in some good positions and made some good breaks but didn't make the most of the situations we were in and didn't really test the keeper."

Man Utd: Van der Sar, Rafael Da Silva (Neville 62), Vidic, Evans, O'Shea, Park, Fletcher (Scholes 62), Carrick, Ronaldo (Giggs 84), Rooney, Berbatov.
Subs Not Used: Kuszczak, Welbeck, Gibson, Possebon.

Booked: Park, Scholes.

Goals: Berbatov 69.

Middlesbrough: Turnbull, Bates, Riggott, Wheater, Pogatetz, Aliadiere (Emnes 76), O'Neil, Arca, Downing, Sanli, Alves.
Subs Not Used: Jones, Taylor, Huth, Shawky, Porritt, Walker.

Att: 75,294

Ref: Martin Atkinson (W Yorkshire).